Darius
Darius was an Immortal monk and former Goth warlord, as well as the teacher of Grayson (a.k.a. Claudianus). Darius renounced war, as well as the Game, remaining on holy ground until his untimely murder by James Horton and his Hunters some 1508 years later. =Personal History= Like the Immortal Methos, Darius's early life is steeped in myth and legend. Born to the Goths around 130 B.C., Darius learned the arts of war early on, showing a natural aptitude. When he became Immortal some forty years later, he quickly learned the Game and turned his new skills to his advantage. By 400 A.D., Darius commanded a massive hoard of Goth warriors along with the Immortal Claudianus, which he led in a brutal campaign of conquest in Europe. At the gates of Paris, however, in the year 410, Darius challenged and beheaded Emrys, a Holy Man and the oldest Immortal at the time. As Duncan MacLeod would later recount, "The legend has it Darius killed a holy man at the gates of Paris. The oldest living Immortal at that time. And suddenly he changed. He turned his back on war." Darius never set foot out of Paris from that day forward, joining the Catholic Church as a priest. He set up shop in a small chapel in Paris, and spent his time on holy ground, in penitence for his former actions as well as in service to his new god. Claudianus, however, felt abandoned by his mentor, and swore vengeance. During his tenure in the priesthood, Darius began teaching a small circle, both of mortals and Immortals, in his new practice of peace before all else. This included a young Duncan MacLeod, who had met Darius in the aftermath of Waterloo, and had readily embraced the idea of peace. A chance encounter with a group of robbers, however, forced Duncan to decide on a different path than that of Darius, and the two parted company as friends. Darius continued with his teachings until 1993, when the Immortal Claudianus, now known as Grayson, finally sought him out by killing the the man Darius planted in Grayson's organization to spy on him. Grayson presented Darius with an ultimatum: he intended to kill Darius' proteges until the ancient Immortal left Holy Ground and faced him for having betrayed him fourteen hundred years ago. Darius sent a secret message in ancient runes to MacLeod in Seacouver, Washington, asking him to protect Victor Paulus, another protege, from Grayson. Macleod readily agreed, and after meeting Grayson and realizing he will not stop chasing Paulus, the Highlander challenged and beheaded him. When Duncan left Seacouver for Paris and met Darius again, he and Darius talked of Grayson's death. Darius commented, "He was once my closest friend on earth. In "For Tomorrow We Die" (1993), Darius is visited in his church by Immortal Xavier St. Cloud, who has just killed six people in the heist of a nearby jewelry store. St. Cloud confesses the murders and humiliates Darius, saying one of the great warriors in history does nothing to stop him. Later, MacLeod in turn visits Darius for a game of chess, and suspects what happened when Inspector LeBrun comes in to investigate the murders and mentions poison gas. Darius is bound by the secret of confession and says nothing, to the great annoyance of LeBrun. When MacLeod visits Darius again later, Darius recollects having found St. Cloud hiding from the police in his church long ago. St. Cloud would have had to face guillotine for having stolen a piece of jewelry. Darius comments, "You know, that's hardly a crime to die for. He expresses guilt and concern about St. Cloud's behavior, believing he should have stopped St. Cloud, and considers leaving holy ground to prevent further killings. MacLeod dissuades him and eventually faces St. Cloud, who loses a hand and escapes. In the following episode, "The Beast Below" (1993), MacLeod is searching for Immortal Ursa and visits Darius for help. Darius recalls having met Ursa before the Revolution and having unsuccessfully tried to discover where he came from. After discussing this, they agree that Ursa most likely hides in the catacombs under the Opéra de Paris. This episode also shows Darius' habit of making beverages out of moss and mold forms. In the next episode, "Saving Grace" (1993), Darius and MacLeod are in the middle of recreating the Battle of Gettysburg with toy soldiers when they are visited by fellow Immortal Grace Chandel. Grace is harassed by Immortal Carlo Sendaro, who has stalked her ever since she left him decades ago. Darius offers to shelter Grace on holy ground in a convent, and even allows Grace and Sendaro to have a private conversation in his rectory. When Sendaro refuses to admit that Grace does not love him anymore, MacLeod fights him and beheads him. This episode reveals the name of Darius' fictional church, St. Joseph Chapel. The season finale episode "The Hunters" (1993) depicts Darius' death. At the beginning of the episode, MacLeod mentions to fellow Immortal Hugh Fitzcairn (Roger Daltrey) that Darius has premonitory dreams about his own death. In the meanwhile, Darius hears ominous-looking people enter his chapel. When Darius does not answer the phone, MacLeod and Fitzcairn rush to the chapel to find Darius' body in the messy nave. MacLeod searches Darius' rectory and remembers various moments with Darius until he finds Darius' last clue: an old book wrapped in old Clan MacLeod tartan cloth. Darius' murderers kidnap Fitzcairn and thwart MacLeod's investigations. Following one of them, MacLeod eventually reaches their headquarters. He meets their leader, renegade Watcher James Horton, who believes all Immortals to be threats to mankind and considers Darius "a malignant evil that has walked this earth in the form of a man for the last two thousand years." MacLeod fights them, but Horton escapes. After setting Fitzcairn free, they return to the barge and along with Tessa and Richie scatter Darius' ashes in the Seine River while MacLeod says, "Fifteen hundred years ago, you led an army of barbarians to the gates of Paris... You disbanded the army and you spared the city. You broke a promise to yourself. To march west from the Ural Mountains until you had reached the sea. So now, old friend, you're travelling on, going where you never been sic. To the sea." =Personality= =Fighting Style= =Miscellanious Information= MacLeod tells Richie Ryan Darius' legend: is two thousand years old +, an ancient general and Grayson was his second-in-command. Fifteen hundred years ago, Darius could have led his armies across Europe and ruled for a thousand years, but he turned his armies back to become a peacemaker and Grayson felt betrayed. Richie rationalizes that the holy man's Quickening went to Darius and made him benevolent, the only known example of a Light Quickening. However, a deleted line from the script has MacLeod say: "Maybe what the Old One told him finally made sense to Darius", suggesting an intellectual realization of the horrors of war rather than the overwhelming positive power of the holy man's Quickening. Notable Quotes "Oh, I'm sure you're quite loyal to your convictions and compatriots. But I wonder what these men think about death, about convictions and compatriotism sic now?" Category:Males Category:Deceased individuals Category:Immortals